Spring Football Preview: Young Quarterback Room Developing Behind Bowman
Oklahoma State is set under center for next season.
The Cowboys will enter the 2024 season with plenty of questions about how far the team can go. However, any questions surrounding the offense are minimal.
Projected 2024 Depth Chart
Alan Bowman, super senior
Garret Rangel, redshirt sophomore
Zane Flores, redshirt freshman
Maealiuaki Smith, freshman
With so many players returning, the Cowboys expect to be near the top of the Big 12 and compete for a College Football Playoff spot. Among those returning is one of the most experienced players in the sport, Alan Bowman.
Coming back for a seventh season, Bowman made his mark on OSU in his first year in Stillwater and helped the team to its second conference championship game in three years. He threw for 3,460 yards and 15 touchdowns last season and showed some of what made him so highly regarded early in his career at Texas Tech.
His best outing came in the Texas Bowl against Texas A&M when he threw for 402 yards and two touchdowns. Bowman also helped OSU win the final scheduled Bedlam matchup with 334 yards passing and his longest rushing touchdown of the season.
After Bowman, the quarterback situation is filled with interesting prospects for the future. The likely backup is Garret Rangel, who has played sparingly in the past two seasons.
Although OSU had a three-quarterback system last season to begin the season, Bowman has the starting spot locked up, and reps could be minimal for Rangel in 2024.
Rangel has played in nine games and thrown for 883 yards and six touchdowns in his two seasons at OSU. Bowman will enter next season as the starter, but any time played due to injury or as the backup could be vital to Rangel’s future.
He could compete against the other quarterbacks on the roster for the starting spot in 2025.
Those other quarterbacks are Zane Flores and Maealiuaki Smith, who have yet to see any time on the field. Amid the quarterback battle early last season, Mike Gundy said Flores was simply not ready to play.
With a full year of practice under his belt and the opportunity for reps in spring ball, Flores might compete for the backup spot next season. In any case, he should see some playing time early in the season.
Meanwhile, Smith might not get any playing time next season in his first year in Stillwater. However, he is a highly touted prospect that OSU seems excited about and could have a fun future under Gundy.
In other seasons with the starting quarterback already decided, the backups have seen little spotlight. But 2024 is set to be a unique season for the Cowboys.
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